New York,
NY (November
18,
2003) --
To inspire and encourage today's youth to express creative talents through writing,
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, America's largest, longest-running and highly prestigious student recognition and scholarship program, has published
The Best Teen Writing of 2003, a collection of the best student works of writing from the 2003 Scholastic Writings Awards. The publication showcases 45 of the most talented young writers ages 12-18 from across the country. The publication will be distributed free of charge to English teachers and students nationwide at the National Council of Teachers of English Convention (NCTE) and through The Awards regional sponsors.
Drawn from more than 350 national award-winning manuscripts, the 272-page paperback book features the best works of writing from student winners in a wide array of genres, style and subjects. The publication includes introductory essays from
Joyce Maynard, a highly acclaimed author and alumnae of The Scholastic Writing Awards and
Kent Williamson, the Executive Director of the National Council of Teachers of English. In an introductory essay, the editor of the publication
Ian Ferguson, a 2002 winner of The Awards and a Yale sophomore, refers to the anthology as an “ electrifying and encouraging resource for student writers and teachers.”
As written by Kent Williamson, Executive Director of NCTE:
“For more than eighty years, classroom teachers have embraced The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards as a way to motivate student writers and to reward those who achieve on the highest level…the work included in this publication is proof of the powerful impact that a teachers' mentoring and guidance can yield.”
As written by Joyce Maynard, when reflecting on winning a Scholastic Award as a teenager:
“As important to me as the prizes was the experience of focusing myself on the goal of completing a piece of writing for the contest, and knowing that it would be read by a serious and discerning panel of judges who would consider it alongside work from other young writers from all over the country.”
More than 12 million of America's most talented junior high and high school students (grades 7-12) have participated in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program, which has awarded more than $20 million in cash and college scholarships during its eighty year history. Some notable past winners include:
Andy Warhol, Robert Redford, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Sylvia Plath, Joyce Maynard, Philip Pearlstein, Joyce Carol Oates and Bernard Malamud. Today, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards continue to fulfill its mission of providing a creative platform of expression for millions of students across the country.
For more information about how to get involved in
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, visit the web site at
www.artandwriting.org.
About The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
M.R. Robinson, the founder of Scholastic Inc., established The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in 1923, and the Company continues to be the program's largest corporate sponsor. The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Inc. was founded in 1994 as a non-profit organization to administer The Awards and to expand its program for young people in the arts. The Alliance's mission is to recognize, encourage and reward young artists and writers, to empower arts educators by supporting and rewarding their classroom efforts and to cultivate creativity that is critical for the future of America's cultural heritage.